Filipinos WW11 US Military Service

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Pilipinas in WW2
Medal of Honor
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Filipino WW2 U.S. Veterans Fight 4 Equity
Historical Notes
WW2 Veterans Advocacy
Guest page: Internees @ Phil POW Camps
WW11 Merchant Seamen Fight 4 Equity

 “Identification with our nation’s history will foster assimilation and participation in common goals that promote good citizenship and civic involvement”

8/2008 Dedicated to The American Legion, The U.S. House of Representatives & others. With some tweaking of the lyrics by M.E. "Pinay", the original song credit belongs to Bob Dylan.

Blowin’ in the Wind

How many more Filipino U.S. WW11 veterans must die

Before The American Legion can call 'em United States own?

Yes, 'n' how many times must a Bill the House consider

Before you can call it a Law?

Yes, 'n' how many more foes must slay the Filipino veterans

Before you can say it is enough?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer, indeed is blowin' in the wind.

 

How many times must Filipino veterans fight

Before they can see the end of the war?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear the Filipino veterans cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many Filipino veterans have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer, indeed is blowin' in the wind.

 

How many years can the Filipino veterans' plea exists
Before it's heard by y’all?
Yes, 'n' how many years can Filipino veterans complain
Before they're allowed to be right?
Yes, 'n' how many times can some politicians turn their heads,
Pretending they just do not see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer, indeed is blowin' in the wind.

This website is dedicated to all soldiers of Pilipino descent who served in the United States military during WW11 (12/7/1941-12/31/1946). The mission of this website is to reclaim our forgotten military history and heritage in the United States Armed Forces. Special recognition is given to the 7,000 Pilipinos in the U.S. Army 1st, 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, as well as to the additional Navy and the Merchant Marine personnel, mostly sent to liberate the Philippines, then a colonial possession of the United States from three years of Japanese occupation. Some of the Pilipino soldiers, already WW1 U.S. veterans in the Hawaiian Infantry would serve again in the Korean War. Significantly, their descendants would serve not only in the Korean and Vietnam wars, but also in the current Middle East military conflicts. This only proves that answering the call to military duty is a gift that soldiers of Pilipino descent in every generation keeps on giving to Uncle Sam, especially during times of wars. Sadly, such loyalty was repaid by the U.S. Congress Rescission Acts of February 1946, wherein the dignity of the wartime heroic deeds of the Pilipinos was diminished by the ongoing unequal treatment of the WW11 Pilipino veterans under the laws of the United States.  

 

An invaluable resource for the Filipino Infantry Regiments is

 http://geocities.com/laginguna1942

the highly recommended website owned by Sgt (Ret.) Pelagio A. Valdez, created to honor SSgt Pablo S. Valdez, his father who served in both of these WW11 Filipino Inf Regts.

 

Meanwhile, in our website, we start with the name list of our Pilipino WW11 veterans from their respective home state/country of military record or residence. Most of the initial listings will come from the State of Hawaii, since my first genealogical project is about Pilipinos in Hawaii

http://filipinosgone2hawaii.tripod.com

 

Significant listings will be added for Pilipino WW11 veterans who served in the Philippines after they volunteered or were drafted to the US military service. They are the casualties and survivors of the Bataan Death March, POWs, Army Philippine Scouts (PS), USAFFE, Navy, Coast Guards, USMC, Merchant Marine, Guerrilla forces, Women Auxiliary Services of nurses, spies and others. Our listing will also include reactivated U.S. military units formed in 1946 (inactivated 1947) and designated as the 12th Infantry Division (PS;”new Scouts”) for duties like the occupation of Okinawa & other Japanese islands;  guard duties like the Military Police, etc. Gathering all these massive information will almost be a lifetime project, but then, such will be an insignificant task compared to what thousands of our soldiers had given all of us for the cause of freedom and liberty. Moreover, since the Philippines is the host country to the U.S. military bases, the role that the Pilipinos played in these wars that involved Asian countries like Japan, Korea & Vietnam can not and should not be ignored.

 

The awareness of our unique history is the responsibility of every living Pilipino. I offer you this website as a limited resource for WW11. It is my hope that my love for the Philippine history and culture overcome my lack of scholarly credential.

 

Congressional Medal of Honor (U.S. highest military award)

total awarded in WW11 =347 with an additional 22 Asian American Affirmative Action upgrades from the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in 2002

 

Short List of Pilipino soldier awardees

Sgt Jose Calugas awarded 2/24/1942

SSgt Rudolph B. Davilla awarded 6/21/2002 (upgrade)

Pilipinos who served in WW11 U.S. Armed Forces in the Philippines:

Source: Revised Reconstructed Guerilla Roster (RRGR) known as the Missouri List, listed 260,143 Filipino WWII veteran.; was compiled after the end of World War II & stored at the US Army Archives in St. Louis, Missouri. After the US Army left in 1948 with the Missouri list the Armed Forces of the Philippines continued to list late registrants into its own list

 

Pilipinos in the U.S. who served in the U.S. Armed Forces: 12,000

Pilipinos pay homage to the “Dambana ng Kagitingan,” a monument in Mt. Samat, Pilar, Bataan every 9th of April during “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor) to honor everyone who fought for our freedom in WW11.

 

We pay tribute to the families of the Americans and others who sacrificed their lives for the cause of liberty that the Pilipinos enjoyed today.

 

This website will always be a work in progress.

For any corrections & omissions, pls send an e-mail to:

 

pinay_492001@yahoo.com

 

Primary Sources:

http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov

also, databases of various cemeteries with war veterans burials

http://www.philippine-scouts.org

http://members.aol.com/untoldtriumph/untoldtriumph/index.htm

(story of 1st & 2nd Filipino Infantry Regt)

http://www.wwiimemorial.com

http://www.usmm.org

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/WWII_MIA/MIA_MAIN.HTM

 

Secondary Sources:

www.fanhs-national.org

websites maintained by chapters of Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)

founded by Drs. Fred & Dorothy Cordova in Seattle Washington (1982)

http://filipinosgone2hawaii.tripod.com

www.wikipedia.org

http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com

http://ancestry.com

http://clusty.com

 

 

Other Recommended websites:

http://www.geocities.com/comralcaraz/diary.html

of Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, USAFFE & guerrilla leader

http://www.militarymuseum.org/Ramsey.html

oral history transcript of Lt. Col (Ret) Edward Price Ramsey, 26th Cavalry Regt (PS) & guerrilla leader

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/philippines.html

 

FAIR USE

Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner

Hit the Leather and Ride

 by Captain Meredith Wilson

It’s a far cry -- from San Juan Hill to the gallant twenty-sixth at Bataan --
Now the spurs blend their jingle with the clank of a tank; --
Our scouts reconnoiter to protect the Yankee flank; --

Our mechanized security is money in the bank; --
It’s the Cavalry rolling on --

CHORUS

We’re gonna "Hit the Leather and Ride", take it all in our stride, "Hit the Leather and Ride" all the way, --
And though we’re glad to know the Infantry’s behind us, --
They’ll have to eat Cavalry dust to find us, --

Let every son of a gallopin’ Yank jump in a saddle or tank, "Hit the Leather and Ride" all the way, --
Tho’ some are the mechanized, you’ll recognize the outfit, --
We’re ridin hell bent for leather today, --
We’re ridin hell bent for leather today, --

VERSE

Let your spurs dig in!
Let the charge begin!
Let the order to rally -- -- roll through the valley like the roll of drums -- --
Let hooves ring true -- -- in a wild tattoo!
Colonel Teddy and Custer know how we’ll muster when the great day comes

 

Do Not Go Gentle

by Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

 

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

 

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.      

All Gave Some
Some Gave All
      Author unknown

Alert           Alert

All the files about the fight for equity rights by the Pilipino WW2 U.S. veterans are now located in our new website:

 

http://filipinos-ww2usveterans-4equity.tripod.com

 

Alert        Alert            
 
New Webpage for Pinays

A new webpage added will  honor the role of the womenfolk during the war. Although, the Pilipinas were not drafted by the United States military, nevertheless they bore the burden of the war equally with their husbands, sons, fathers & brothers. Some Pilipinas actually became members of the military thru their voluntary enlistment mostly in the medical & auxilliary services. Others bear arms, fought alongside the guerillas & became casualties or POWs during the war.